Watch the World Burn
by SuPaTwEaK
Summary: Upon her arrival, she never expected to be caught up in something so big. The Clown Prince of Crime isn't exactly one to easily let go of something that catches his eye. When a battle of wits ensues, she might have gotten more than she bargained for as neither is willing to give in. . . JokerxOC Rating will go up in the future...R&R!
1. Gotham City -Prologue-

**A/N: This is my first attempt at a 'Dark Knight' story, so bear with me.**

**The characters will be based off Nolan's films such as Heath Ledger-Joker, and Christian Bale-Batman, because these characters were portrayed wonderfully. There will be some added stuff here and there that isn't exactly to the movie so don't get upset..**

**Well anyways, here we go.**

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own The Dark Knight.**

* * *

"You sure about this, boss?" the young man questioned, viewing the city's night lights from behind his apartment window. "I mean, it's one thing to take matters into your own hands, but to go all the way across the country? To Gotham City of all places?"

"Joey please, you make it sound as if I don't know how to take care of myself," the young woman on the other line scoffed as she leaned back against the building and glanced up at the street light deep within one of Gotham's lonelier neighborhoods.

Joey sighed, "I know who you are Steph, we all do."

"Then I don't see what you're so worried about. This city has its own problems to worry about. What's one more criminal to the mix?"

"Here's the thing though, you're not just any criminal; you're a crime boss- lord even. You're the head of the Vicciano Crime Family!"

Stephanie grinned, "True. But my operations are on the other side of the country, not here in the East Coast. Chances are the people here won't even know who I am- hell, the people of OUR city don't even know what Stephanie Vicciano looks like."

"Well I suppose that is true, but still-"

"Ah just stop your worrying kid. I'm here on 'business', remember? Once I finish things here, then I'll take care of those filthy traitors that tried to get rid of me and tried to sell what Don left to me. Now, what do you got for me?"

"I've got a few names here, the main being Salvatore Maroni- Italian crime boss and current head of the Maroni family. Due to some incident that happened in Gotham awhile back, he took over Carmine Falcone's mob and now controls all that money as well."

"Bastard," Stephanie muttered. "He probably thinks he's unstoppable now and plans on taking over mobs outside his area of business. I'll be damned if those idiots think they can so freely hand out our family name to the likes of trash like him. Anyways, what other info you got for me?"

"I've got a few other names to look out for. First, is the Batman."

"Batman? The hell is that?"

"In short, the city's caretaker."

"Ahh, I see. And any other names?"

"Yes, the second person to look out for would be some clown called the Joker. So far he's been the biggest threat to the city; the Clown Prince of Crime is what it says here. Batman's enemy I presume."

"So I'm just walking into a war of sorts. . . Interesting."

"Last thing before I forget, your cargo ship should be arriving within the next few days. Captain will give you a call so in the meantime you should be getting yourself settled. Where are you staying?"

"Well, now it's a hotel. But chances are I'll be cheaper off buying or renting out some old apartment."

Joey laughed, "Like money is a problem to you. You could probably buy out an entire apartment complex or even rent out a condo if you wanted to. But I suppose you would want to be careful with how much money you're bringing in and out of that city."

"Exactly, I can't risk being tracked down here. Not now."

"Alright, well you just do what you gotta do and give me a call if you need anything. Take care, boss."

She put her phone away in her coat's pocket and leaned back against the building, seeing her breath as she let out a deep sigh. She hadn't been in Gotham for a full day yet since her arrival the constant sound of police sirens filled the air. She was relatively new to the city but had heard much about it, even if her home was three time zones away; her being from the West, Gotham being on the East. It was probably well around midnight but the time difference made it a tad difficult for her to drift off. She knew she would grow accustomed to it soon but for now she was wide awake. It would have been quite boring to just stay at her hotel room so why not explore the city a bit through a late night walk? To any other person, walking out at night in an unknown city would be considered dangerous, but she was more than capable of taking care of herself.

She stifled a yawn and decided now would be a good time to head back. She straightened herself out and began walking along the sidewalk when she noticed two shadows trailing behind her. Oh, they were probably just heading in the same direction as her. . . Heh, in this city so late at night, she doubted it. She continued on with her pace, pondering all the while if they were rapists, serial killers, thieves, or all the above. Suddenly she was pulled into a dark alley with a knife pressed against her neck.

"It's pretty dangerous to be walking around these parts of town all alone baby girl," the thug breathed against her ear from behind. "Especially looking so-fine."

Irritated grey eyes narrowed_, 'Ugh a gangbanger.'_

Out of the corner of her eye she spotted the other two from before slowly approach. From what she could see due to the very dim lighting, one of the guys approaching had a big grin on his face while the other seemed hesitant and slightly faltered in his steps.

"Aren't you scared?" he laughed as he began to trail the knife up and down her exposed neck.

Stephanie smiled and slightly glanced back. "Now why exactly would I be scared?"

Before he could say anything, a gunshot sounded and he instantly dropped dead onto the hard concrete with a loud thud.

"W-what the hell?!" The other gangbanger exclaimed as she slowly bent down and picked up the blade. He looked around realizing no one was around.

"You bitch, what did you do!"

She simply ignored him and examined the blade. It wasn't bad; it looked brand new.

"Hey! Don't ignore me!"

The second he took steps toward her, she unveiled her weapon and pointed it directly at him without ever taking her eyes off of her new toy.

"Move and I'll shoot," she said as she closed the knife and tucked it away. Only then did she finally look up at him.

"Ha! Like you would shoot me," he said smugly.

BANG!

"Would you look at that, I did." She casually bit the inside of her cheek as the body dropped dead to the ground.

All that was left was. . .

"You," she glanced over at the last one. He unlike his other two companions had his back against the wall shaking in fear, yet too much in shock to run away. She slowly walked over the bodies and approached the fearful man. As she got a better look at him, she noticed he was still young unlike those other two thugs.

"How old are you?" she asked.

"_I-I don't understand. Please don't kill me!_" he uttered.

"Oh?" she raised her eyebrows at the realization. "_Ahh, so you're Italian._"

"_Y-yes._" he nodded.

"Interesting," she murmured as she tucked her gun out of sight and crossed her arms over her chest. "_How old are you?_" she repeated her first question.

"_Nineteen._"

"Hmm, still young," she mused. "_How do you know those guys?_"

"_I-I don't really know them. I met them about a couple of weeks ago. I was new to the city and they asked me if I would like a tour. I didn't know they were, y-you know, and they'd been trying to get me to do what they had been doing but I could never bring myself to do it._"

"_How strange, I feel as though you are actually telling me the truth._"

"_I swear on my life that I'm not lying to you ma'am!_" he held his hands together in front of his face, almost in a praying fashion.

She stuffed her hands in her pockets and look over at the lit street. "_What's your name kid?_"

"_Fabrizio._"

"_Fabrizio_," she repeated. "_I'm in a rather, merciful mood_," she cast a quick glance at the dead bodies on the floor, "_so I'll tell you what Fabrizio, I'm here on very important business and time is of the utmost essence; but I seem to be short on labor at the moment. Like I said before, time is of the utmost essence and I can't afford to waste any of it. Fortunately for you, my operation could use a young face such as yourself given that you know your way around the city. ._ ." she slowly trailed off and glanced at him.

He nodded, "_Yes, I do know my way around this city_."

"_Ah! Perfect. So how about it? Would you like to work for me?_" she turned to face him and extended her gloved hand out to him. "_From what I can tell, if you were taken in and hanging out with those thugs then you probably don't have much going for you right now_."

He looked away as if her words hit hard and true.

"_That can easily change however, if you say yes then you can easily make something out of your life_."

"_And if I say no_?" he looked up at her.

"_Then you can deal with whatever hardships this city has to give you, considering you didn't exactly enter the grown up world on good terms with society_." She motioned at the bodies as she tucked her hand back in her pocket. "_A city as big as Gotham has surely got to be unrelenting_."

"_If I say yes, how do I know you won't kill me_?" he questioned.

She grinned, "_Well haven't you lost your fear. But anyways, it's like I said, time is of the utmost essence and I seem to be short on labor at the moment. I am someone who keeps their word, if I say I won't kill you then I won't kill you. Nor will I order a hit on you_."

Order a hit? Just who exactly was this woman? She just seemed to give off such a dangerous, almost powerful vibe.

"_So how about it Fabrizio? What do you say?_" she extended her hand out to him once again and sure enough he shook it with a firm grip. "_Excellent. It's much too late to discuss any work but here's what you're going to do, tomorrow- or rather twelve hours from now at noon, you're going to meet me at the Fourth Ave. Cafe. That is where we'll talk and I'll get you started. Don't be late and oh_," she reached into her coat pocket and held something out for him, "_make sure to dress nice_."

He took it without really knowing what it was. With a final goodbye, she was on her way. He held the item up to get a better view of it only to realize that she had given him a wad of cash. She was long gone for him to be able to say anything. He finally sighed and pocketed the bundle, "_I guess I'm going clothes shopping in the morning_." And with that he too was on his way.

* * *

As Stephanie continued walking, she couldn't help but feel as though she was being watched. Something felt really off and she couldn't place her finger on it. She cast a quick glance over her shoulder and saw nothing but the empty sidewalk. It was probably all just in her head. She must simply be getting tired; she hadn't slept in a long time, and it must all finally be catching up to her. She shook her head and was glad that the hotel was not far. There would be much to do when she woke up.

* * *

"Hmm, so she did notice I was here," a figure murmured as he hid in the shadows of the alleyway. He'd been following her for quite some time now. He didn't know why, but something about her caught his attention. The fluency in which she killed the two gangbangers seemed to increase his interest and even more so when she began talking to the kid in some language he didn't understand. "She is definitely a new face. . . I'll have to thank her for the two bodies, although I would have preferred to kill them myself. Ahh, either way ol' Bats will get the message. As for the pretty lady, we'll have to properly meet sometime."

His scarred face bared a wide grin as he disappeared into the night, looking forward to the day to come.

* * *

**A/N: And that was the prologue of sorts. Let me know what you think of it so far. Feedback would be very much appreciated! **


	2. The Fourth Avenue Cafe

**Disclaimer: I DO NOT own The Dark Knight.**

* * *

"Ah, good morning Stephanie," the young crime lord was greeted as she entered the rather full café.

"Good morning Nicola, is your father in?" she asked.

"Yes he is. He's in the back I think. I'll go get him right away."

"Thank you," she nodded as she went to a small booth towards the back of the café. She looked through the daily newspaper when someone took a seat across from her.

"Stephanie, aren't you looking beautiful as always."

"You're looking great as well Rafael."

"Thank you, thank you," he waved. "Anyways, trouble with the family?"

"Not necessarily trouble, more like a great nuisance. Rocco just can't accept the fact that Don left everything to me and not him, and because of that he had the nerve to go behind our backs, gather up the men, and try to sell the family name to Maroni."

"When Don was still alive and I was still over there with the family, I always had my suspicions about Rocco, as did Alessio. Even after I left, I always had a feeling he would one day do something against the family. When Don named you successor of the family name, we never questioned his judgment. Why would he pick you, someone who wasn't born into the family, over his own sons or even Rocco- the underboss? Everything that man did he did for a reason. Rocco thinks you've ran away and given in because he can only go by what his people tell him. And his people are telling him that you've yet to call upon any action, and that's all they can go by. I'm sure by this point in your life you've realized why Don always kept you kids hidden from the rest of the crime family."

She nodded.

"Everything Don did he did for a reason, never forget that. Now, onto why you are _here_. Where are you staying at?"

"A hotel but-"

"Not anymore. You're staying at my penthouse."

"Penthouse? I thought you lived in the suburbs."

"Well, yeah I do, but with all the money we have the Mrs. wanted to invest her time into something of her own."

"So you guys built an apartment building."

"Not just a building, but rather an entire apartment complex. It's perfect! And I'm not just saying that because we own it," he waved at her slyly. "It's not in the center of the city so you don't get the hectic, almost dangerous atmosphere that is Gotham, but it's also not completely away from the city so that you feel as though you're in the middle of nowhere. It's right in the nicer parts of the city. The only way for me to possibly describe how perfectly situated it is, is that you can pretty much see the entirety that is Gotham City from the upper floors. . . _especially_ from the penthouse."

She grinned, "Is that your way of trying to lure me in to your deal?"

He chuckled, "What deal? This is no deal Stephanie, this is all on me. I've seen you kids grow and have always looked after you even after Don's passing. I consider you my own children. You can have the penthouse for as long as you need it while you're here in Gotham. It's the least I can do."

"I couldn't possibly-"

"Nope!" he interrupted and pointed a finger at her almost in a scolding manner. "You're taking it and that's that. I'll call and let my lady know then I'll tell my boys to give you a hand in moving your stuff. No buts from you young lady, that's final."

Stephanie was slightly taken back. She couldn't remember the last time she was spoken to in such a manner. She couldn't help but smile as it reminded her of those days in the past when everything was different from what it was now.

"Yes sir."

"Says the crime lord," he laughed as he slid out of the booth.

She gave him a look. He simply laughed and put his hands up in defense. He excused himself and got back to work when he spotted a rather lost looking young man enter the café. Judging by how he was dressed, he couldn't help but know who he was here to see. He approached the young man and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder to get his attention. When he looked up at him, Rafael motioned over to the back of the café to where Stephanie was sitting.

"_Ah, thank you_," he nodded.

"_No problem kid,"_ Rafael waved him off as he got back to work.

When she and Rafael had finished their conversation, she had gone back to reading the newspaper. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Fabrizio approaching her. Right away she noticed just how well the kid cleaned up. Looks like someone used their money well. Showered, hair combed, nice clothes…definitely. She greeted and motioned for him to sit down.

"_I see you spent the money well,"_ she gave him a quick glance.

"_Yes, I did_," he pulled out the remainder of the money and was about to hand it to her but she put her hand up.

"_Keep it. Now, are you hungry? Feel free to order anything you want. I'll cover the bill. I insist. I wouldn't want you tired after all."_

Damn, just who was this lady? There was still A LOT of money left and she was just giving it to him as if it were nothing. And then she was going to pay the bill? He was getting that weird vibe again and figured he wouldn't do anything that would get him in trouble so he ordered a simple chicken sandwich, seeing as how the menu was beginning to switch with the change in time.

She asked him simple questions to start off and patiently awaited his responses as he ate. Then she moved onto the important stuff. Seeing as how he worked for her now, it was her job to inform him on some of the small details her employees needed to know.

"_Seeing as how you're my first employee here in Gotham, I'm going to be completely honest with you Fabrizio. I'm going to be relying on you to do many things for me here in this city. It's nothing to be scared of but rather proud, for you see, you have my trust and hopefully I'll have yours. I don't know how long I'll be staying in this city so for now let's just say it's indefinitely. I know you'll have questions that I can't give you the answer to just yet. But, trust me when I tell you that all your answers will be answered in time. So now that we got that out of the way, let's get onto business. You said you knew your way well around this city…"_

Fabrizio nodded.

"_Excellent. I'm a business person of sorts and I am looking for someone. His name is Salvatore Maroni. I've heard that he controls a lot of money coming in and out of this city and well as other resources in the underground world. Doing some business with him will bring me huge profits but the thing is that my ships don't arrive for another couple of days. What I need you to do is find him for me. Or at least find out what you can about him. But you can't tell anyone I'm looking for him, otherwise we might have some unwanted people disrupting my business. You have a kind face, asking around in 'curiosity' should be no trouble for you. I have other important things to do which is why I'm having you scout the city. Should you discover anything of use, call me with this phone."_

She handed him a simple flip phone that already had one of her private lines.

"_That is an important phone that should only be used to call me or my other acquaintances, whose numbers shall be put in at a later time. We're right about done here, any questions?"_

He nodded no. He thanked her for the meal and the money and promised to fulfill his duty. He excused himself and left the café as Stephanie remained seated. He didn't know why but he was beginning to feel really excited. It was weird considering he was working for a woman whom he knew nothing of. But he supposed what made him excited was the fact that he had already heard some information about Maroni from some people he used to hang with. Maroni owned many clubs and spent much time in them is what the word was. Fabrizio actually felt useful and now made it his priority to know just where those clubs were located.

. . .

"Well well, doesn't my beloved look rather lonely sitting all the way in the back."

Stephanie had to refrain from saying anything inappropriate as she looked up to see Rafael's oldest son smiling down at her.

"Hello Alessandro, what a surprise seeing you here," she replied dully.

"Don't act like you're not happy to see me," he winked at her.

She noticed the white apron he was wearing and figured he must be working at the café.

"Are you working here? I thought you were in Miami."

"I was, but there's hardly any work and I'm a man that needs to be productive. So I called up my mother and asked if she needed any help with the whole complex venture but she said that everything was fine but that pops could use another hand around seeing as how business has been really booming," he motioned to the full café. "And you know how 'we all' can be when it comes to hiring outside of the 'family'."

She smiled, "I understand completely. But if you and I are in a way family, then why must you insist calling me your beloved?"

"We're not _that_ close." He had a large grin planted on his face.

"Of course," she sighed as she picked up the newspaper.

"Don't fight it," he winked at her as he took the plates. "We'll call you in a few to help you with your stuff."

"Awesome," she mumbled. She wasn't going to lie when she said that Alessandro was really attractive. He was tall, almost at six foot six, and well toned and muscled from always working. He was almost a spitting image of his father compared to Nicola whom wasn't as tall and muscular as his older brother but was still quite tall and toned. Nicola resembled their mother more and was generally calmer and reserved than his brother.

She checked the time and realized there was just one more thing that needed to be done at the café. She was to receive a very important call from a very important person in about ten minutes. In the meantime she was reading a very interesting article about a shooting that occurred the night before. That was definitely her. The time and place that the gun shots were reported matched. Victims were already past felons . . . correct . . . mug shots matched guys from yesterday. . .

As she read on, something strange got her attention. . .

The bodies were found at a different location than where she killed them. . .

The article said that no clues were left behind as to who could have been the culprit and because of that, many had to suspect the Joker as the one responsible.

The Joker? Wait! He was one of the guys Joey told her about. She killed those men, which means that he must have been the one to take the bodies- wait, she could recall having this weird unnerving feeling as she was heading back to her hotel last night. She dismissed it as simply being tired from the lack of sleep but was it possible that he was there the entire time? Well wasn't that great. Day one and she already involuntarily ran into the Joker and possibly helped him out. And here she thought she wouldn't have to deal with Gotham's troubles.

"Uh, excuse me miss. The café is ah rather full and I hope you wouldn't mind if I, ah, take this empty seat across from you while I wait for my, ah, take out."

"Sure, go on right ahead," she motioned at the seat across from her.

"Thanks," he nodded as he took a seat.

"The city is not getting any warmer, is it," she asked, noticing he was wearing a big coat, a hat, gloves, and a scarf that was covering most of his face. The scarf came up a little past his nose and the hat pretty much shadowed his eyes. As weird as that seemed, she figured she'd be friendly and get a small conversation going so it didn't seem as awkward.

"Not at all. It seems to be colder now than it was last night. Hard to go for a nice walk without one's limbs freezing off."

"Here's your coffee sir," Rafael placed the cup on the table. "The rest of your order will be out shortly."

"_Who's the guy?_" he questioned as he walked away.

"_Don't know_," Stephanie replied.

"Ah, is that uh Italian you're speaking?" the man asked.

"Yes it is."

"Quite exotic if I do say so myself, as are many other languages. Say, you're not from around here are you?"

At this she glanced up from the paper.

"I guess you can say I'm a wanderer of sorts. I know this city and its many streets off the back of my head. And I can honestly say that I've seen every face except yours. Trust me when I say I would definitely remember seeing a face as pretty as yours."

She was beginning to get this weird vibe from this guy. But she just had to play it off and smile at the compliment.

"Thank you, and I guess you could say this is the first time I've officially been in this city."

"First time in the city huh? Are you here on, ah, _business_?"

The way he said 'business' was beginning to unnerve her. It was as if he knew who she was. That was impossible though. This was barely her second day in the city and she hadn't even been out that much to make a recognizable appearance.

"Actually I'm just here visiting."

"That's nice. You should be careful though, Gotham isn't exactly the, ah, friendliest of cities. _Trust me _when I say that. You've got your many thugs, freaks, and weirdoes, and then you've got the underground world, and then you've got people like me who would rather just sit back and watch it all unfold."

"You seem to know a little too much about such things."

"Ahh, knowledge is power and the more you know the more in control you are, whether you realize it or not."

"And where exactly do you side with all of this?"

"I side, on my own side. I do what I want whenever I want. And telling you anymore would-"

"_Phone call,_" Nicola patted Stephanie's shoulder and motioned over at the counter.

"Thanks, I'll be right there. I'm sorry but I have to get going now. It was a pleasure to meet you," she gave the man a small nod.

"Oh no the pleasure was all mine. Until we meet again someday."

And with that Stephanie walked over to the counter and to the back to take her important call.

"Oh, we'll be meeting again pretty lady, sooner than you think," the man chuckled to himself. Nicola came out and gave him his take out. "Hey uh son, do you have a pen and paper I can, ah, make a quick note with? Thanks," he nodded when Nicola handed him a pen and a small note paper. "Give this to the beauty that was sitting in front of me, will ya?"

"Sure thing sir."

"Thanks."

"Have a nice day."

About twenty minutes later, Stephanie came out with quite an amused face. She had just gotten off the phone with Alessio, her father's second right hand man, or left hand man if you counted Rafael to be the right. Stephanie practically knew both of these men her entire life. Even after Don's passing, they had both promised to serve the 'family' and had personally promised Don that they would always look after his kids and help out in any way they could. Alessio had always stuck close but Rafael had moved to Gotham with his family long before Don had passed to personally handle some business in the area in the name of the Vicciano Family. But that soon ended and so he wound up opening the café and the rest is history.

So it turns out that Rocco was beginning to get a bit paranoid about Stephanie's lack of action and therefore sent out a manhunt for Alessio. He didn't need to tell her why Rocco was looking for him. It was simple, Rocco didn't know what Stephanie or her acquaintances looked like, Alessio did. Hell, Alessio was her public face when she would have orders or announcements to make to the rest of the family that Don told her to never show her face to. It was as Rafael had told her earlier, everything Don did he did for a reason. And the fact that Don had kept her and her siblings away from certain members of the family definitely proved that even he had his suspicions about Rocco. The fact that he never told Rocco about Rafael's relocation seemed to further prove that.

Even though they talked over the phone, Stephanie could just tell that Alessio was grinning when he spoke to her. He told her that Joey insisted Alessio leave for his own protection while he and his men stayed behind to keep an eye on Rocco and his men. Rocco was searching the West Coast frantically, Joey was right on his tail, Alessio was somewhere near the Midwest, and Stephanie was in Gotham. Oh yes, she would be grinning too. And what made things even better was that all of her stuff would arrive in a couple of days along with some extra muscle and man power.

But what did get to her was the fact that the family was split between Rocco and herself. Even though Don himself knew it was bound to happen, she knew that he would want for things to be one again. However, the crimes Rocco committed against the family were things that could not be forgiven. And so the only possible sentence for him and his men, or rather the traitorous members that were once part of her family, was death. Alessio had offered to order the hit on them all but it seemed too easy. She would deal with Maroni first, then she would deal with Rocco. She would have her own fun.

When she came out front, Nicola handed her a small folded piece of paper and told her the man that was sitting across from her wanted him to give this to her.

"Have you read it?" she asked him curiously, not sure what to expect from that unusual man.

He nodded his head no.

"Alright then," she sighed and unfolded the paper.

'Thanks for the bodies. See you around beautiful,' it read. She stared at it for quite a while before crinkling the small piece of paper in her hand.

Damn it! Was it- was he. . .

That man . . . was the Joker. . .


End file.
